What do you guys think this means for the future of Storz & Bickel?

Portable Vaporizers
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I just read the announcement about Jürgen Bickel stepping down from Storz & Bickel after 25 years and it got me thinking about where the company goes from here.

https://canopygrowth.com/investors/news-releases/canopy-growth-announces-storz-bickel-executive-transition/

As someone who genuinely loves their products, this feels like a pretty major moment for the brand.

For me, Storz & Bickel has always stood apart from most vape companies because of the engineering, consistency, vapour quality, and overall reliability. My Volcano Hybrid and Venty are two of the best vape purchases I’ve ever made, and they’ve honestly improved my day-to-day quality of life.

That said, I know a lot of people in the community feel the company started changing after the Canopy Growth acquisition back in 2018. Some people think quality control and customer support haven’t felt quite the same since then, while others think S&B is still making some of the best devices on the market.

Now with Jürgen leaving, I can’t help but wonder if this is the start of a completely new era for the company.

Part of me is optimistic because the Venty proves they can still innovate and push the portable market forward. But another part of me worries about what happens when the original visionaries behind a company move on, especially after corporate acquisitions.

I’m also really curious whether Jürgen stays involved in the vape industry at all. After spending 25 years building one of the most respected brands in the space, it’s hard to imagine he’d completely walk away from vaporizer innovation altogether.

Honestly, if he ever started another company focused on high-end dry herb devices, I think a lot of enthusiasts would immediately pay attention. It would be interesting to see what kind of products he’d create without the influence of a large corporate parent company behind the scenes.

Do you guys think Storz & Bickel will continue to lead the industry, or are we going to slowly see them become more corporate and less enthusiast-focused over time?

And do you think Jürgen eventually starts something new in the vape space, or is this likely the end of that chapter for him?

Curious what everyone else thinks, especially longtime S&B users.

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I’m worried for S&B.

The last several years they’ve been operating as their own brand with no corporate hands on the wheel.

Their new leadership comes directly from Canopy Growth.

Jurgen has a non-compete, but those aren’t forever and Jurgen has a taste for ball vapes now.

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I agree, and that’s what has me concerned as well.

S&B always seemed to have a very specific philosophy when it came to vapour quality, airflow, reliability, and overall user experience. I just hope that doesn’t slowly disappear under more corporate leadership.

That said, part of me is also excited by the possibility of what he could do next. Imagine if he entered the ball vape space someday. A German-engineered ball vape designed by one of the minds behind the Volcano could be something special! Or maybe he is just riding off into the sunset, and good on him if he does.

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Dude, the industry has moved on from S&B, they are living off a past and former glory, living off contrails as it were! Ten years ago they were the shit , mighty/crafty ruled the portable electric world and now not so much.

The recent fiasco with the Venty is case in point. How does a company release a vape with a freakin defective ribbon cable? Seems like the issue was the connector for the cable wasn’t locking down, causing the issue. I get this seems to be behind them now but it was a real punch in the gut to their reputation!

Innovation is all over the industry like the Frolic, Tafee Bowle2 & upcoming Flaske, Swedish manufacturers(Ocarena One) coming soon to the market with powerful new innovations etc. etc. point being plenty of innovation out there, not so much from S&B.

Are they out of the game? Nope! Are they still the A team? Nope! Maybe a B team nowadays? Could they mount a comeback? Possible, but it would take some serious innovation.

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Fair points, and I do agree there’s a ton of innovation happening right now outside of S&B. Devices like the Tafée Bowle 2 and a lot of the newer convection-heavy stuff are definitely pushing the industry forward in interesting ways.

I actually own a Bowle 2 myself and really enjoy it, but for me personally I still haven’t found another company that matches the overall vape signature of S&B products. I think a lot of that comes down to preference. I tend to prefer a really well-tuned hybrid vape rather than pure convection on-demand devices.

There’s just something about the vapour quality, airflow, consistency, and overall session style from devices like the Venty that still keeps me coming back. Even with all the newer innovation, I still personally view S&B as one of the leaders in that particular category.

As for the Venty launch, I completely agree it was unfortunate and definitely hurt their reputation. But at the same time, that was almost 3 years ago now and the issue does seem largely resolved. Also, with forums and social media, you naturally hear way more from the people who had problems than from the thousands quietly using theirs every day without issues.

Honestly, if I lost my Venty tomorrow, I’d buy another one immediately. Even if I somehow got an error unit, I’d just warranty it or replace it because for me the experience is that good.

I do think S&B needs to continue innovating though, because the competition today is much stronger than it was during the Mighty/Crafty era. I feel that this is gonna be a challenge for them though, due to the corporate restructuring.

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Having worked for companies in other industries that were taken over by investment companies, the places I worked seemed to have a procedure. A couple of years with little or no changes, changes made slow and minor. After a couple years, the investment company becomes more involved, More involvement in budget and design, generally “cost saving”. Next, old management either leaves, or accepts a figure head position, and the investment company ignores QC to crank out a couple high profit years to jump the price of stock or the company itself, and then they either sell, or run the company into the ground until they have squeezed everything out of it and then company closes or merges with the investment company’s other failing venturers.

I don’t KNOW this is what is happening at S&B, but my personal experiences make this a concern

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I’m with you, Charles. I have been a part of too many of those situations, and that is the M.O.,for sure.

At the end of the day, I think all of us can agree on S&B having a legacy of innovation we’d rather not see tarnished. We struggle with this form of nostalgia in the collection hobby space all the time. If the quality remains consistent or better, mission accomplished. Unfortunately, that’s seldom the case in these instances.

Love the product, fear the corporation, I say.

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Imo S&B continue to get a lot more attention in the enthusiast space than I would have guessed. It goes to show just how special these designs are and how they speak to some people so strongly.

I bought a Mighty in 2014 because it was so well reviewed online. I quickly found out it was pretty large, looks a bit weird, it’s difficult to clean, with vapor that isn’t the most intense. I wanted something stronger so of course I got a Volcano in 2018. The vaporizer from tv and movies! Turns out the Volcano is extremely quirky and odd, with crinkly plastic bags, a gigantic bowl, and loud operation.

I guess S&B vapes just aren’t my thing exactly. But the designs are interesting and the medical aspect makes them a unique maker for sure. I hope they’re able to figure this one out.

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Good discussion with a lot of fair points. I can’t speak much about S&B since I never owned one of their devices but I know they’re well respected. I also think they’re facing an industry now that is evolving quickly and I’m not convinced they’re keeping up. We will see.

Yeah, I’m slowly circling towards that realization as well with battery portables that are full convection like the Frolic and Convex2. Full convection ball vapes are different for me due to the power behind the convection that extracts quickly without the need for some conduction assist.

But lately I like using a capsule in the Frolic and Convex2 to add a touch of conduction along with some restriction. This helps vapor flow more easily without too many long, throat-drying pulls. However, it’s different from a true session-style vape where your flower is cooking a lot in between hits. Now I still have long “sessions” but with on-demand heaters being so powerful, you can fire things up in seconds when you want that next hit.

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Same on convection. I jumped on the TM2 and TB2, and Frolic, and there are times I enjoy them, but mostly I’m burned out on them, except the ball vape. Not sure if it’s the extra power or the radiant heat that is taking the convection edge off the ball vape, but it’s different than convection portables.

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Agreed. My most reached for DHVs right now and for the past year have been the Venty, Universal Baller, Volcano Hybrid and the Simrell Ti. Seems to cover off all of the bases for me lol. I have lots of other tools in the toolbox, but they seem to be the ones that I go back to all the time. Oh, and the Vapvana Ace with the micro dose bowl…I still can’t believe how hard it can hit me with such a small amount of flower.

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The Volcano has moved into ruling the group session.

With a whip and an adapter you can power a multi user experience.

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My S&B collection. Still debating whether or not to add the Veazy. I probably don’t need the classic Volcano but on the other hand, I probably do need it… :man_facepalming::joy:

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This could be a good thing for S&B. Obviously like most people here I have no inside information as to who made what calls. Is Jorgen holding things back? On paper it looks like it. They had like 15 years to make a vape that matched smoking before Canopy bought them.

I’ve never been sure if S&B not making a more potent vape was/is a missed opportunity like Dynavap or they just know their market and goals. If you do the math on THC delivery, the Venty is pretty in-line with carts. And the casuals love carts.

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It’s already a beautiful collection you have. Why debating, you know you are going to buy the Veazy. Wait on a good deal or black friday. The classic Volcano you can find secondhand for a good price, or wait for a special model. Patience is the way my brother

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I actually can buy the Veazy up until tomorrow with a 48% discount, but I have surprisingly held off and it is strictly due to the fact that I love my Crafty+.

I do not think that it is going to provide a better experience than what I am currently getting just from the various reviews I have read. I am going to continue to be patient and wait for other items on my wish list and be content with what I have lol… there is just something about that blue colour that I really like.

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48% :eyes: that’s crazy deal

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When I see a 48% discount I suddenly feel the urge to check my bank account :smile:

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Yes… It has been very hard not to put it in the cart and buy it at this price lol

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Just pulled the trigger on the veazy at vapenorth.ca! Also picked up a high flow stem and WPA for my solo 3 and a set of s&b dosing capsules. All for 211CAD, which means $150 to me including US shipping! I read the reviews on it and maybe it’s not a Venty, but if I ever drop Venty money on a portable vape it’ll be on a frolic, flaske or on a vape to be named later. Given that only people like Troy can taste the difference unless they’re side by side it seems like a super cheap way to find out what that famous s&b vapor is like. I also don’t seem to pick up metal taste in my vapes, since I don’t notice the difference in taste between the solo 3 tube and a hiflo with an ss screen.

Plus, if I find myself not really liking it I can probably sell it lightly used for at least as much as I bought it for :joy:

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